These Stores Will Be Closed On Thanksgiving; The List Likely To Grow

In a somewhat surprising move, the Mall of America announced Wednesday that it would be closed on Thanksgiving (Nov.24) so that employees could spend time with their friends and family. The most famous mall in the United States first opened on Thanksgiving in 2012. Mall officials told the Associated Press that this year it wanted to offer workers time with their friends and families on the turkey feast.

A large number of stores want their employees to enjoy Thanksgiving

The mall will re-open on the Friday after Thanksgiving at 5 a.m. For years, Black Friday officially kicked off the holiday shopping season. However, over the past few years, stores and malls have been trying to attract customers by staying open on Thanksgiving amid stiff competition from online retailers. It prevented workers from spending time with their families. Major retailers like Target, J.C. Penney, and Macy’s have opened stores increasingly earlier on Thanksgiving.

The Mall of America has this time chosen to put workers over profits. But it’s not the only center that will be closed on the turkey feast. Last month, Staples announced that it would close on Thanksgiving for the second year in a row. Here’s the full list of stores that will be closed on November 24, 2016, according to BestBlackFriday:

A.C. Moore

American Girl

AT&T

Barnes & Noble

Bed Bath & Beyond (Select Locations)

BJ’s Wholesale Club

Burlington

Cabela’s (Retail stores closed; Call Centers Open)

Christmas Tree Shops (Select Locations)

Costco

Crate and Barrel

Dillard’s

GameStop

Gardner-White Furniture

Guitar Center

Hobby Lobby

Home Depot

HomeGoods

IKEA

Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores

Lowe’s

Mall of America

Marshalls

Mattress Firm

Menards

Neiman Marcus

Nordstrom (non-store employees working)

Outdoor Research

P.C. Richard & Son

Patagonia

Petco

PetSmart

Pier 1 Imports

Publix

Raymour and Flanagan Furniture

Sam’s Club

Sierra Trading Post

Staples

The Container Store

T.J. Maxx

Tractor Supply

Von Maur

Many of these stores to open early on Black Friday

Among the above stores, Outdoor Research will also be closed on Black Friday. A common theme among these stores is that they want their employees to spend more time with friends and family. But they also want to “bring Black Friday back” since it has lost some of its luster. It means many of them will be opening their stores at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.

Some of the biggest stores like Walmart, Target, Sears, and Kohl’s will be open on Thanksgiving. Given the status of the Mall of America, we hope it would inspire others to follow suit. The Mall of America will also close its Nickelodeon amusement park and movie theater on Thanksgiving. Certain mall employees like maintenance and security workers will have to work to ensure smooth operations in case enough individual stores within the mall choose to be open on Thanksgiving.

They’ll offer good deals online

The list of stores closed on Thanksgiving is only going to grow as many stores have not yet made their plans public. Even though most of the stores will be closed on Thanksgiving, they will offer exciting deals online. It means you can enjoy the same savings by shopping online.

Author: Vikas ShuklaAlthough he has a background in finance and holds an MBA, Vikas Shukla is a technology reporter. He has a strong interest in gadgets, gizmos, and science. He writes regularly on these topics. - He can be contacted by email at vshukla@valuewalk.com